The Princess of Kaibara High
by Unfair Trick
Summary: Tohru has confessed her feelings to Kyou, leaving Yuki to his own devices. With a new arrival at Kaibara High, will Yuki be able to heal, or will the experience leave another scar on his heart?
1. Arrival

Author's Notes/Disclaimer – I do not own Fruits Basket, namely the characters. However much I wish I did, they belong to Natsuki Takaya. So, unfortunately, I will have to settle for just owning my plushies.

Laurie Salyers, on the other hand, does belong to me. Don't steal her, please. I put hard work into my characterization.

Enjoy!

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-Arrival-

There was a stir in the air around Kaibara High school. The presence of curiosity was enough that Hanajima Saki could sense it the second that she stopped by the school gate. Her dark eyes scanned the terrain for anything out of the ordinary. Finding nothing, however, she continued into the school like normal, seeming to find Uotani Arisa as though drawn to her by a magnetic force.

"What's going on?" Hana asked, her calm voice and cool stare showing none of the curiosity that she held.

"I hear there's a new student floating 'round somewhere." Uo answered, seemingly without the slightest bit of concern.

"A new student?" Hana asked in reply, looking unimpressed.

"Well, a foreign student." Uo added. Hana nodded at this.

"Where's our Tohru?"

"Hmm…" Uo replied, looking puzzled. "Guess she's not here yet."

Hana's expression didn't change as she shifted her body to get a better glimpse of her surroundings. Tohru wasn't anywhere in sight, but it didn't bother her. Tohru was often late, now that she was staying with the mysterious Sohma family.

It wasn't until Hana and Uo were going to class that Tohru came over, that bright smile on her face that seemed to warm even the coldest heart. Kyou and Yuki weren't far behind; Kyou was holding onto Tohru's hand, like usual, and Yuki was walking along thoughtfully behind. For the most part, everything was well. Kyou and Tohru were happy together, and the curse had been lifted. Yuki seemed content with life. No one bothered to think twice about that.

Yuki couldn't blame anyone. The façade of happiness, of peace, was a façade that he put on himself; why should he be upset that it apparently went unnoticed? He didn't have a right, he knew.

Everything went according to the usual schedule that morning. The five of them - Uo, Hana, Kyou, Yuki, and Tohru - were in class on time, even if barely. In the rush to get to their seats, only Hana seemed to notice the peculiar dark-haired girl in the back of the room, absorbed in a book that looked like if you gave it the slightest tap, it would crumble into a fine dust.

However, Yuki's eyes were on her, as well. He could tell from his seat - which was only a few in front of hers - that the almond eyes scanning the page were a deep cerulean. It was certainly unusual for a Japanese child to have blue eyes, but upon closer look, Yuki realized that she wasn't Japanese at all. _I didn't know we were going to have a new student_, he thought as he took his seat. Immediately after he sat down, however, the foreign girl was out of his mind; his eyes strayed to Tohru.

She had been with Kyou for nearly three months now. Yuki was pleased that Tohru was content with Kyou; the two seemed very much in love. With the curse lifted, it was even possible for them to embrace. Kyou could hold his beloved to his heart's content, Tohru could sneak up on Kyou and throw her arms around him, and the two could lean into each other with the air of a typical "disgustingly cute" couple. Indeed, Yuki _was_ happy to see the two find peace with each other. It was no less than either deserved.

The selfish part of him, however, resented both Kyou, and even Tohru to an extent. In the place that his gut instincts came from, Yuki knew that he and Tohru were right for each other. They would be happy together, no less happy than she was with Kyou.

Privately, Yuki was disgusted that he could allow himself to be so jealous. If Tohru was happy, then he should be, too. It was what he had wanted all along, wasn't it?

Bringing himself out of his thoughts with a barely noticeable shake of his head, Yuki took out his pencil and idly tapped it against the desk. As much as he scolded himself for his childish resentment of Kyou, he knew he was only human. He had loved Tohru. She had been his Princess, the one to set his soul free. _And_, he reminded himself with the patient voice he usually used with Hiro or Momiji, _you were the one that stepped aside._

The day progressed as normal. They began with calculus, then went straight into physics, followed by foreign language. The mysterious girl in the back of the class hadn't spoken a word to anyone, had only listened with rapt attention and scrawled notes in a notebook that appeared so neat it would have put Yuki to shame. Tohru and Kyou were passing notes as discreetly as possible, while Hana hid a book inside of her textbooks in order to pretend she were paying attention, and Uo idly marked down important facts. Yuki himself had kept a very neat record of his daily notes, each in their own notebook, with headers and dates. He was the Prince of Kaibara high, after all; though the thought of being referred to as "Prince Yuki" mortified him in some ways, it also made him feel rather proud. He wasn't going to let his image slip.

The lunch bell couldn't have been any more welcome. Tohru paused at the door, causing Kyou to stop; it was that, or jerk her arm uncomfortably, which Kyou was very careful not to do. For a moment, it was like old times. Only, Kyou's fingers were interlocked with Tohru's, signifying to Yuki unspoken boundaries. The old days were gone.

With a half-smile, Yuki waved for Tohru and Kyou to go ahead. He wasn't feeling very hungry at the moment, and noticed that a few other people were lingering in class as well. It was a good enough opportunity to clear his head.

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Please review. I would be ever so grateful for comments and suggestions!


	2. Encounter

Author's Notes/Disclaimer – I do not own Fruits Basket, namely the characters. However much I wish I did, they belong to Natsuki Takaya. So, unfortunately, I will have to settle for just owning my plushies.

Laurie Salyers, on the other hand, does belong to me. Don't steal her, please. I put hard work into my characterization.

Enjoy!

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"You want me to show you to lunch?"

"You can sit with us if you like."

Yuki vaguely heard two of his classmates speak from the back of the room. He recognized them - Aihara and Kirishima. While they weren't bad guys, they were known for their mischief. Personally, Yuki could deal without them.

"I don't speak Japanese." a soft voice floated to the front of the room, causing Yuki to turn. While his English was nowhere near acceptable - to him, anyway - he had understood her rather well. American, he mused to himself, his eyes on Aihara. Kirishima had begun to migrate towards the door, as though knowing not to cause any trouble. Aihara was the one that never knew better.

"Aw, c'mon." Aihara cajoled, placing his hands on the foreigner's desk and smiling at her. Yuki recognized it as what Uo called his "winning smile" - sarcastically, of course - and wondered if Aihara was aware of the disgusted look the girl had. He figured not.

"Aihara-kun," Yuki said, softly, putting his books away. Aihara immediately turned. "Shouldn't you be on your way to lunch?"

"Uh…yeah." Aihara replied, looking uncomfortable. Yuki did his best to keep his welcoming smile plastered to his face, playing the part of Prince as he always did. It had become routine by now.

It wasn't until Kirishima and Aihara had filed out that the girl began to put away her things. A notebook, a sketchbook, then another book, small and leather-bound, all disappeared into a tan, leather school bag. _She doesn't even acknowledge my presence_, Yuki thought to himself, more with amusement than irritation. It was strange to not be noticed, fawned over, but he rather liked the change. He also figured that if the new student didn't know Japanese, she wouldn't be in a hurry to speak to anyone. It could be embarrassing, like trying to read English aloud, even if you didn't know what you were saying. It was something Kyou and Hana often did.

"Excuse me." Yuki said, softly, once he realized that not only was he not acknowledged, but also that he wasn't going to be any time soon. The girl looked up, her blue eyes unreadable.

"Yes?" she asked, though her voice had lost the edge that it had. Unfortunately, she hadn't stopped speaking English. While Yuki could recognize the simple word, he knew that their conversation wouldn't last long like this.

There was an awkward silence in which the girl got up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Yuki cleared his throat. "I'm Sohma Yuki. It's a pleasure to meet you." he said, extending his hand, as he knew Americans did. The girl looked mildly surprised, but gave a courteous bow before she shook his hand.

"Salyers Laurie," the girl responded. Inwardly groaning at the "r" sound in her name, Yuki gave her a kind smile. "R" sound or no, it was a pretty name. Though, he would have to get her permission before he called her Salyers; he knew that in America, they introduced themselves with first their given name, then their family name. "It's nice to meet you, Sohma-kun." she then added. Now it was Yuki's turn to be surprised; she had spoken in perfect Japanese, with a slight Kansai accent.

For a moment, there was another awkward silence. Searching his mind for something to say, Yuki decided to settle on the polite questions. "Where did you move from?" he asked, deciding that he wouldn't ask her _why_ she had told Aihara that she didn't speak Japanese. He had a feeling that he knew why.

"Nice," Laurie replied, making her way towards the door. When Yuki looked puzzled, she added, "France."

"France?" Yuki repeated, his eyebrows rising in curiosity. He could have sworn she was American. "Was it nice there?"

"Yes, I suppose," Laurie answered Yuki, opening the classroom door, then holding it for him. Slightly baffled - Yuki was used to males holding doors open for females - Yuki stepped through. "Though, England was much nicer."

"England?" Yuki then asked, confused.

"I lived there before I moved to France," Laurie shrugged, adjusting the shoulder strap of her bag. Yuki nodded at this, taking in the information. "And before that I lived in Germany, Greece, Italy, and New Zealand. I'm originally from New York State, though."

"It sounds like you've been all over." he remarked as the came to the lunch room. Yuki spotted Kyou's flaming hair from the door, even though he was in the corner with Tohru, Hana, and Uo. Yuki had come to realize that he could pick out Kyou within two seconds of coming within a mile of him. For Tohru, it was around a millisecond.

"I have." Laurie answered Yuki's stated question, looking around. She appeared to be confused for a moment, then looked to Yuki, as though waiting for him to show her what to do. He would be glad to let her sit with him, if that's what she wanted. He just wasn't so sure he wanted to sit with Kyou. Not today.

"That must have been nice." Yuki thought out loud, heading to a table as far from Kyou's as he could. He noticed Motoko sitting at the far end, and gave her a polite smile and nod as he passed.

"Not really," Laurie answered, again surprising Yuki. Traveling was something that he had always wanted to do, and couldn't imagine someone not enjoying it. Apparently noting the puzzled look on Yuki's face, Laurie continued, "The countries are all very nice, but it's hard to really live your life when you're being uprooted every few months to move somewhere new, is all."

"Very understandable," Yuki said at that, setting down the lunch that Tohru had packed for him, then sliding his lithe frame into a seat. Following Yuki's lead, Laurie sat on the other side of the table, placing a lunch tin a little to her left. When Yuki scanned it closely, he noticed that it was advertising an Anime - Bleach. _So she's one of those_, he thought to himself, unconsciously letting his gaze drift towards where the "otakus" usually sat. "I don't imagine that I would enjoy that." he added at Laurie's silence

Laurie was quiet for a few moments longer, before she tilted her head back to look at Yuki. He was in the process of opening his lunch, when he saw Laurie's brow lift. "Your mom make that for you?" Laurie asked, causing Yuki to freeze. _She doesn't know_, he told himself sharply, trying to force himself to relax. _She has _no_ idea_.

"No, actually," Yuki answered, forcing a smile. Laurie seemed to know immediately that she had treaded in forbidden territory. Yuki was glad for this. "My friend, Honda-san."

There was another one of those awkward silences at Laurie took out her lunch, placing it neatly on the table. Yuki watched her, curious about what she was eating. There was what looked like toasted bread, though he couldn't tell what was on it. In a small bag were a handful of crackers, and then two squares of peanut butter and chocolate were wrapped in plastic wrap. A bottle of tea topped it all off.

Yuki and Laurie ate in near silence, punctuated by offhand comments that roused smiles from both of them. By the end of the lunch period, the two had lapsed into a comfortable silence that neither were truly tempted to break.

"What about you?" Laurie asked as they walked back to class. Confused, Yuki turned his head as Laurie began to explain herself. "Have you lived here your whole life?"

"Yes," Yuki answered, hesitating slightly, then going on, "I've only moved once, and it was from one house to another. Never city to city."

"Must be nice." Laurie muttered, mostly to herself. Yuki smiled faintly, though it was without real mirth. He would have given anything to travel, and she would have given anything to stay in one place. He wondered if they were both missing an underlying point; Yuki craved freedom, while Laurie wanted stability. They were both desires of things never before had.

"It is," Yuki said after a long moment, pushing open the classroom door. After Laurie had stepped through, he entered himself, striding towards his desk. "I'm sure there are nice things about traveling though, as well. Think of the many things you've seen, places you've gone that very few people will ever be able to go."

When Laurie didn't answer, Yuki turned, curious as to why she had fallen silent. She was standing a few feet behind him, her eyes moving around the classroom. She looked faintly awkward. Yuki didn't have to guess at why; he could hear the venomous whispers of his "fan club" from the corner of the room.

"Ignore them." Yuki muttered faintly, feeling his cheeks heat up – but only faintly. The idea of a fan club had been slightly amusing in the beginning, even flattering to a point. However, after two years and one too many close calls, Yuki had found himself loathing each one of them. He was a regular person (for the most part), not some famous J-rocker to be fawned over and worshipped. It made him feel slightly alienated from the rest of his classmates, some of whom he knew resented him for the sole purpose that he was the "Prince" of Kaibara High.

_It's not like I can help it_, Yuki thought bitterly, before looking back at Laurie. Her eyes were faintly shadowed, but her face otherwise showed nothing of what she may have been thinking. It unnerved Yuki slightly; he was one of the few people he knew that could hide his emotions so well.

"It must be flattering." Laurie said after a long moment, resuming her step as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Yuki could hear the hissing of his fan club start again, but resolutely ignored them. They could only get to him if he let them. He had learned this from long days of enduring their scathing looks and jealous whispers.

"You would think so," Yuki shrugged nonchalantly. It had been flattering once. He had long ago stopped seeing the flattery in being practically stalked. "But it's more of a nuisance."

"Really?" Laurie asked interestedly. Yuki leaned back against his desk, folding his arms over his chest.

"Really." he replied.

Looking faintly intrigued by this, Laurie pulled a chair out and lowered herself, smoothing her skirt. She found it rather odd that Yuki didn't enjoy having a "fan club;" indeed, she knew that most boys around her age would love to have one. Would flaunt it, even, when given the chance.

Yuki didn't seem to notice Laurie's scrutinizing stare as her eyes moved from his face, downwards, then back up again. He was certainly feminine, but that didn't bother her. She wasn't the type to sever a potential friendship because Yuki might have longer lashes than her. Of course, Laurie thought absently, that's assuming that there's going to be a friendship at all.

"Class starts in a few moments, Laurie-san." Yuki said, glancing at the clock just above the classroom door. He looked back at Laurie, then noticed her odd expression: somewhere between mild surprise and amusement. "What?"

"Do you normally get this familiar with people you just met?" Laurie asked, a bit teasingly, as she got out of her desk. Yuki merely looked at her, puzzled. "My family name is Salyers."

"Oh." Yuki said, his expression one of mild embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it," Laurie cut Yuki off. In one, graceful movement she stood, again smoothing her skirt. "You didn't know." she added with a casual shrug. For a moment – just a fraction of a moment – Yuki felt as though he had gotten a glimpse at a different Laurie than he was becoming used to: a Laurie that smiled, a Laurie that laughed, a Laurie that wasn't as cold as she appeared to be. A Laurie that was just a little less like himself: cold, selfish, unfeeling.

Gray eyes cool, Yuki watched as Laurie made her way back to her desk. He wondered if she had picked it out; it was in the very back, next to the window. In most students' opinions, the best seat to have. _Why are you wondering_? Yuki asked himself, settling in his own seat. It didn't make much difference whether or not she had chosen it. _Though, if she did_, he told himself with a barely visible smile, then that means she could move to the desk in front of me without Sensei caring.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru's cheerful voice interrupted Yuki's thoughts. A bit startled, Yuki glanced up.

"Hello, Honda-san," Yuki replied in his usual welcoming tone, noticing Kyou sulking a few feet behind Tohru. He gave Kyou a faint nod. "How was lunch?"

"It was wonderful!" Tohru gushed, her eyes bright. She then tilted her head, as though remembering why she had come over in the first place. "Where were you during lunch?"

"I was meeting the new student." Yuki answered promptly, holding his smile. Kyou muttered something unintelligible.

"Oh, really?" Tohru asked, the vague worry gone from her expression. Yuki breathed a sigh of relief; after all Tohru did for him, he didn't want her to be worrying about him. "Where's she from?"

"She's lived in many countries." Yuki responded, telling Tohru no more than she had asked.

"Tohru," Kyou's voice interrupted the conversation. Yuki's eyes moved to Kyou's face, but Kyou was ignoring him, as per usual these days. He seemed to have made it his goal to keep as calm as possible with Tohru around. Yuki admired that he had learned the self-restraint solely to keep her happy. "We need to get in our seats."

"Uh, yeah." Tohru said, looking between Yuki and Kyou. Yuki looked away, out the window. A calm breeze was causing the grass and flowers in the yard to sway, gently. It was slightly relaxing to watch. _More relaxing, anyway, than watching Tohru walk away with Kyou._

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Please review. I would be ever so grateful for comments and suggestions!


	3. Contemplate

Author's Notes/Disclaimer – I do not own Fruits Basket, namely the characters. However much I wish I did, they belong to Natsuki Takaya. So, unfortunately, I will have to settle for just owning my plushies.

I also don't own "Unwell" by Matchbox 20. All their creativity.

Laurie Salyers, on the other hand, does belong to me. Don't steal her, please. I put hard work into my characterization.

**Ruun-chan**: Yes, she told them that she didn't speak Japanese because she didn't like the way they were talking to her. This will _not_ be a Yuki x Tohru fic. Kyou and Tohru 4-eva. XD

Enjoy!

- - - - - - - - -

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru's voice called from the kitchen. Yuki looked up from where he was working on his homework, stifling a slight yawn. He had come home late, and Tohru had offered – quite insistently – to make him dinner. He had refused at first, as it was quite late, but he knew that nothing could stop Tohru once she had gotten it into her mind that she was going to help someone out, be it a large or small task.

Getting to his feet, Yuki straightened his shirt. It had become habit anymore, to make sure that he looked neat and proper. He wasn't sure why; it wasn't as though he had anyone to impress. Now that Tohru was so firmly out of reach, he wasn't sure that he truly cared.

"Thank you, Honda-san." Yuki said softly as he entered the kitchen. Tohru turned, her eyes bright and smile cheerful. _Just like always_, Yuki mused, taking the tray that she was handing him.

"You're welcome!" Tohru said brightly, giving a hurried bow. Yuki didn't quite understand why she felt the need to bow as often as she did, but it was oddly cute coming from her.

_Stop that_, Yuki told himself firmly. He was thinking about the situation between himself and Tohru too much. He knew that there was nothing he could do to change things. He had been, and still was, perfectly willing to step aside in order to let Tohru be happy, even at his own expense.

Yuki firmly took his mind off of that, instead sitting at the table and looking back at his homework. He had been trying to diagram the sentences on his paper for the last few moments, but couldn't concentrate on it well enough. It was strange; he was usually quite good at English, grammar, vocabulary, and otherwise.

With a frustrated sigh, Yuki instead began to eat. As usual, Tohru's cooking was quite delicious. Yuki allowed himself a few moments to enjoy his meal in the calmness of the house. Kyou was up on the roof, and Shigure was working on his manuscript. Yuki strongly suspected that Tohru would be joining Kyou any moment.

It was very rare for Yuki to have any time to himself. He didn't mind that he lived in a house with Kyou, or that Tohru had come to stay – he had no right to – but he did enjoy the moments of peace that he had experienced when it was just him and Shigure. Kyou, though, had the tendency to bring chaos with him wherever he went. _At least it keeps things lively_, Yuki thought.

Yuki finished his food, setting the dishes on the tray, deciding to put his homework away. He resolved that he would get to school early the next day, to see if he could ask Kaijura-sensei about diagramming. If he was lucky, he would be able to finish before homeroom started.

Stretching, Yuki got to his feet. He picked up his tray of dishes, headed into the kitchen, and set them next to the sink. One by one, he rinsed everything off, then set it neatly in the sink. Though he felt slightly guilty for making Tohru do so much work, he knew he was terrible at housekeeping. The last thing he needed was for Tohru to pull a dish out of a cabinet and for it to be spotted and dirty because of his lack of experience in cleaning.

That, and he knew that it was part of her agreement. She would stay in the Sohma house for free, and in return, she would cook and clean. It worked.

"Couldn't you be bothered to at least clean up after yourself?"

Yuki looked up at the sound of Kyou's voice. He was half-tempted to retort in his usual smart-aleck manner, but merely gave a shrug. "If you want your food straight out of a partially dirty bowl, fine by me." he replied softly, turning back to the sink, and picking up a dishrag.

There was silence from Kyou for a long moment, before, "Fine, whatever," he muttered, stalking over to the refrigerator. Yuki sat the rag down. "Damn rat." Kyou added, a bit half-heartedly.

"Baka neko." Yuki said immediately, merely by force of habit. Their arguments seemed to have lost their usual fervor as of late, but it didn't bother Yuki. He got sick of Kyou's hot-headedness, and it was a welcome change.

Before Kyou could retort, Yuki sat the bowl back down and calmly walked out of the kitchen. He didn't want to be dragged into an argument right now; he had a headache and too much to worry about than to argue with Kyou over another one of his trivial irritations.

Ducking past Shigure, Yuki picked his books up off of the table he had been working on. He only had those sentences left to diagram, which meant that he could finally go to bed. It had been a long time since he had been able to lie down before nine o'clock, and he was grateful that he'd finally be able to catch up on some of the sleep he'd been missing for the past few weeks.

Once Yuki was in the privacy of his own room, he loosened his necktie, pulling it off and laying it over the back of his desk chair. In a few deft movements, his shirt was unbuttoned. He hung that up, pulled off his pants, then slipped into his pajamas.

"Long day…" Yuki muttered absently to himself, more to break the silence of his room than anything. From somewhere outside, he heard Tohru's laughter, followed by an offhand comment from Kyou. _Wonderful_, Yuki thought as he stretched out. _That's just what I need, to listen to them…_

Yuki hoped that the sound of his slamming window wasn't enough to disturb anyone else.

- - - - - - - - - -

"_…A different side of me… I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired_…"

Laurie looked up from where she was working on her sentence diagramming, a wistful look on her face. It had been an age since she had traveled back home, seen her family. Listening to American music always made her feel at least a little bit closer to home, but she still got home-sick every once in a while.

Tapping her pencil against the table, Laurie debated whether or not to hop in the shower before she went to bed. _You could always do it in the morning_, she told herself, rising and sauntering over to her alarm clock to make sure that it was set.

With a yawn, Laurie dropped unceremoniously into bed, turning onto her back to look up at the ceiling. She'd had an interesting first day at Kaibara High. The people there seemed nice enough, and the real experience was nothing like the horror stories that she had heard about Japanese schools, with cram schools and strict, overbearing rules, not to mention the tyrannical teachers. No, Laurie had found school to be almost enjoyable.

Kaibara high was certainly more enjoyable than Laurie's last school. She couldn't say that the teachers had taught her much of anything. Though, with the way the students acted, how could they? She remembered it quite clearly in her mind; the students were loud and crude, throwing paper, throwing chairs, throwing punches. Threats came from the mouths of those around Laurie so casually that she at first couldn't be sure whether or not they were serious, or meant to be a joke.

Laurie learned, however, that it was no joke.

She had never been threatened directly; no, Laurie was the type to fade into the background and try her hardest not to be noticed. It always worked; she wore her uniform neatly, answered questions only when called on, kept to herself. No one around her had any reason to pay attention to her.

For other students, however, it was a different story. Many of the typical class clowns and showoffs learned quickly to keep quiet and go about their business at normal. The consequence of not doing that ranged anywhere from threats to being hunted down as you walked home from school.

Laurie couldn't figure out why this was. The four that did most of the fighting and threatening didn't seem to have any real reason to; it was as though it was merely something they could do to pass the time. Laurie knew from listening to a few conversations that most of the people they tended to pick out were ones that annoyed them, because of how obnoxious or loud they were. She didn't, however, ever find out why they used fists as means of fixing the problem.

At the time Laurie had been there, it had been rather intimidating to know that if she spoke out of turn, or brought attention to herself, she could possibly end up like some of her fellow classmates had. Looking back on it, though, it all seemed ridiculous that four teenage boys and a few of their gang could intimidate a class full of thirty people into timid silence.

_Well, it doesn't matter now_, Laurie thought absently, glancing at the clock. It was just after nine o'clock, but she didn't feel tired at all. Not only had her first day of school been slightly exciting, but she wasn't used to going to bed at such a time; where she was from, she would have just been waking up.

Briefly, Laurie let her mind move over the day's events. It seemed as though she had met the "Prince" of Kaibara High almost immediately. He seemed nice enough, though she wasn't sure she could remember what his name was. For some odd reason, though, she thought of snow whenever she tried to remember.

She had also met his friends, Tohru and Kyou. Tohru seemed very sweet, even if a bit dense – _or a lot dense_. Kyou had been very stand-offish, but Laurie could tell that he wasn't a bad guy. He and Tohru seemed very comfortable in their relationship, and very much in love. Then there had been Hanajima, a kind but slightly – well, creepy – girl. Uo was the loud, sarcastic "tough girl" of the group. Laurie rather thought that she and Kyou would have been great friends if they ever got past the minor differences they seemed to have. They complimented each other perfectly.

Yawning, Laurie looked outside, her eyes moving over the stars. She remembered a time when she was young, lying out in her backyard with the girl next door, looking at all the stars in the sky. Those had been the days of carefree innocence, of abundant joy. She didn't have to worry about fitting in at her new school, she didn't have to think about entrance exams, she didn't have to do much of anything, except write her name on a piece of paper in a semblance of handwriting.

Letting her eyes fall closed, Laurie wondered if she'd ever be able to feel as she had as a child; carefree, light, happy.

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Please review! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions you have to offer! n.n


	4. Unexpected

Author's Notes: First of all, I don't own Fruits Basket. This is the last time I'm going to put this up here, because I'm as tired of copying and pasting it as I'm sure you are of reading it. Four chapters and I know you get the hint.

Laurie Salyers © PyromaniacChesheyre (aka me). I will not refrain from reminding everyone of this, sorry.

Lastly, thank you to everyone who reviewed! –feels very loved- I would love to reply to each and every one of you, but time really _doesn't_ allow it. –bows deeply- But trust me, I appreciate it so much!

-

The morning air was cool, a gentle breeze ruffling the grass and trees. The sun had barely peeked out from behind the clouds, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

_These are some of the best moments_, Yuki thought to himself as he walked along. He'd had a good half an hour to kill before he had to be at school when he'd finished getting ready, so he had chosen to leave early for school and enjoy his walk. It wasn't something that he did often any more; his life had become so hectic lately that often times, he didn't notice his surroundings.

His eyes following the movement of a few stray leaves being blown across the sidewalk, Yuki let out a sigh of pleasure. Unfortunately, though, now that he'd spent his time meandering, he had to make his way to school. _And it was turning out to be such a good morning, too, _Yuki thought idly.

Yuki made it to school in only a few moments. The schoolyard around him was completely deserted, and the parking lot held only a few cars. Upstairs, Yuki could see that lights were still being flipped on, which meant that he was probably the only student that happened to be at school yet. _Perfect_.

"You're here early." a voice behind Yuki sounded, causing him to spin around in a movement that lacked his usual grace. Straightening, Yuki stared at the girl that he had met the day before, as though slightly confused by her presence. Seeming to understand Yuki's confusion, Laurie added, "I didn't sleep well."

"Oh." Yuki said after a moment, averting his eyes.

"Yeah." Laurie said in response, before falling silent. Yuki shifted.

"So…" Yuki started, though he wasn't sure what he could really say. His mind was still in a slight haze of sleep and cool, dewy morning walks. "Did you have any problems with last night's English homework?"

"Not at all," Laurie shrugged, adjusting her bag. She turned her head to look at the school, and then back at Yuki. "But English _is_ my first language."

"That's true," Yuki agreed unnecessarily. Feeling slightly awkward, Yuki cleared his throat. "I didn't find it … very easy." he added, looking meaningfully at Laurie. He hoped that by some chance she would get what he was asking for.

Mentally, Yuki sighed. He couldn't believe he was too childish to even admit aloud that he had needed help. "Really?" Laurie asked unconcernedly. Yuki nodded once, swallowed, then opened his mouth to speak. "Well, I can show you if you want. I guess that's why you're at school so early? Get some tutoring?"

"H…hai." Yuki said after a long moment, looking closely at Laurie. Her eyes were cool to the point of vacancy, hidden partially by a few strands of chestnut coloured hair that hung in her face. Yuki wondered what had happened to her to cause her to have a look like that; it was so familiar, yet so strange to see on the face of another.

"Well," Laurie mused to herself, starting up the sidewalk, "I'm pretty sure the library is open by … it's almost seven, right?" she asked, looking in faint annoyance at her wristwatch. Yuki checked his own.

"Six forty-five." he confirmed, waiting for Laurie to fix her own, then following her inside the silent halls of Kaibara High.

"Y'know," Laurie started as they began to walk towards the library. Their shoes echoed softly of the polished tile floor, sounding eerie in the otherwise soundless corridor. Yuki turned his attention to her, making a soft sound to indicate that he was listening. "You don't hafta be embarrassed to ask for help. There are very little Americans who could diagram a sentence."

For a moment, Yuki mused over Laurie's slight accent, Kansai, he knew. He wondered how long she had been in Japan before she had moved to the area, or if she had learned Japanese in another country. Regardless of the fact that it had the odd twang, he found he rather liked the way she spoke. It was cute.

_What the…?_ Yuki wondered to himself in surprise. _Cute? Where did that come from?_

"Is that so?"

"That's so."

"I didn't know that," Yuki said, biting his lower lip in thought. Although this piece of information did make him feel slightly better, he hoped that no one would ask him for help in the one subject he couldn't seem to grasp. "What year do American students learn to do this?"

"I learned in seventh grade," Laurie answered, pushing open the door to the library, then stepping back to allow Yuki to pass. Inside was even more eerily silent, and the rising sun was casting odd shapes around the vast room. "But I was one of the few that did. It's tough to learn."

"I would imagine so." Yuki agreed softly, sauntering over to one of the many library desks and taking a seat. He shrugged his bag off of his shoulders, then lied it on the table, his eyes following Laurie as she walked around the table to sit across from him. She was silent as she pulled her pencil and paper from her bag, then raised her eyes to Yuki.

"So," she said, her eyebrows rose questioningly. "What exactly are you having problems with?"

"All of it," Yuki admitted with a awkward half-smile. Laurie frowned, then tilted her head. "I know, but it's really confusing."

"You're not going to be able to finish your homework in time for class, even if you do understand it by then." Laurie pointed out, her lips tilting down in a frown. Yuki frowned as well.

"Ah…" he said, reaching up to scratch his head. She was right. "Damn." he muttered then, more to himself than anything.

"Look," Laurie said, raking a hand through her bangs. "If you understand this by the time class starts, I'll let you copy this once, and _only_ this once."

"Copy?" Yuki asked, startled. His amethyst coloured eyes rose from where he was staring at the list of twenty sentences to diagram, to Laurie's face. "I can't copy."

"Of course you can," Laurie shrugged, tapping the table with her pencil. Yuki made to open his mouth, but Laurie kept talking. "Once won't kill you, Sohma-kun. However, a zero out of fifty can kill your grade."

Immediately, Yuki shut his mouth. She was right, of course. His grade, while definitely satisfactory, couldn't afford a zero on such a large assignment. No one's could.

The sun slowly rose as Laurie began to break down the diagramming of sentences to Yuki, having to put it three different ways before he could truly understand. Sometime during the morning, Laurie had migrated to sit next to him instead of across, saying that she was getting tired of leaning over the table. Yuki hoped, even though he denied it to himself, that it was just an excuse.

"So since this is a prepositional phrase, the preposition goes here…" Laurie was saying, her eyes heavy-lidded as she used her pencil to point to what she was explaining. Yuki's eyes moved to her face; her voice was tired sounding and a little bit higher than usual, and it looked as though she could barely keep her eyes open. _Couldn't sleep, indeed_, Yuki thought as he watched her lips move as they formed words. Without thinking, he reached out to brush back a few stray tendrils of hair that were falling over her shoulder. Laurie didn't acknowledge it, which relieved Yuki. "…Do you understand?"

"Yes." Yuki responded, picking up his pencil and moving to the eighth sentence. As Laurie had said, there was no way he was going to be able to finish the next twelve before second period.

"Tired…" Laurie muttered, setting down her pencil, then lying her head down on the desk. Yuki stifled a chuckle, setting down his own pencil.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked curiously, wondering if she were perhaps sick.

"Fantastic." Laurie responded. Yuki didn't miss the sarcastic note to her voice.

The doors to the library opened, and Yuki distinctly heard what was apparently the tail end of Kyou's grumbling. Not wanting to turn around – not wanting to face Tohru, who would inevitably be with Kyou – Yuki kept his eyes on Laurie, who didn't seem to notice that anyone had entered the library. "I'm just not used to the time," Laurie murmured, opening one cerulean eye to peer at Yuki. "I'll be okay after a few nights."

"I hope so," Yuki told her earnestly, before bracing himself for Tohru's cheerful greeting. When it didn't come, Yuki looked around, surprised. Kyou was sitting in the far corner of the library, scribbling madly on his paper. _I suppose he didn't finish his homework, either_, Yuki mused with lazy disinterest. _Baka neko_.

-

That's the end of chapter four (apparently)! Sorry it took so long, life has been hectic with all the college preparation I'm doing. Please review, I really appreciate it! Suggestions are, of course, welcome – most of the time, I find a way to incorporate them into my story, so long as they're serious. n.n


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